Winos take over park and shut down library

O.k., this blog is off topic. It just is.

  Also,  I want to make it clear that I do not generally call people, "winos," and the term is used tongue in cheek for those, like me, who enjoy good wine. 

I went into town today, hoping to finish editing the file for the print version of my book, intending to send it to the publisher today.  I just have a little more formatting to do, and then it is ready to have them send me a proof copy. After I approve a proof copy, it becomes for sale.

Well, plans are plans, but sometimes they change unexpectedly.   When we got to the Paso Robles library, all the streets were blocked off, as well as the library parking lot.   The gentleman who was working the barricade said that the library is closed today for the wine festival.

Now, I like wine. I enjoy going to tasting rooms now and then, and on a rare occasion I'll go to an event at a winery.  However, for as long as I've lived in this area, well over a decade,  I've never been fond of the way the big wine festivals are handled.

The city's main public park is shut down, along with streets around it.  There is no admittance to the public park, unless you have a wine festival ticket.  They erect iron barricades all around the park to keep the common folk out.  

Now, most festivals in the park are open to the public, no admission fee. I can understand that the wine festivals in Paso Robles and other local cities need to be different.  Alcohol is a big part of the central product.   I just hate that so much public space is shut down to most of the public. It doesn't help that it's expensive to attend.  

Wine is an important part of the economy in this region, and there are some excellent wineries around here.  We'll always have wine festivals.  Since I don't live in Paso Robles, I don't have a say in how they run their parks.  It is a minor inconvenience for me, and maybe I should have known that the wine festival was this weekend. I would never wish for the wine festivals to stop, so long as this region remains a prime wine region.  (It won't be a wine region for too many more years if this insane drought doesn't let up.)

It would have been nice if the library at least had a sign saying that they would be closed for the festival today.  They had signs about being closed for Memorial Day, but nothing about being closed today. 

Oh well, at least I got some new shoes while I was in town. I've needed to replace my shoes for quite a while now.  Found some good steaks on sale at Vons too.  So, it wasn't a wasted day.  Hopefully I'll be able to get back into town to finish the book early next week sometime.